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Here is everything you want to know about traveling with cellphones in the United States and worldwide. Cellphone are also known as mobile phones. Cellphone is spelled as both one word and two (cell phone) but it makes little difference which spelling you use in web searches. This page is divided into the following sections: |
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| General | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Cellphone Resources | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Smartphones. These cellphone are smarter than a regular cellphone but there is no industry standard that defines their features. However, most smartphones have some sort of operating system so you can download applications and most are WiFi capable and have a web browser. The iPhone is an example of this type of cellphone. For a good overview of smartphones see the Wikipedia Smartphone article or go to Smartphone.net. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wikipedia-
Mobile Phones. They use the term "mobile" phones
which is more popular that cell phone in many countries outside the U.S. This is an excellent article on cell phones. |
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| Consumer Reports - Cell Phones and Service. All about selecting a cellphone and service plans. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fodor's
- Cellphones. Here is this well-known travel
guide's list of articles on cellphones when traveling. |
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About.com
- Cellphones. A well-respected website with
information on just about everything. |
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| Buying | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cellphone Buying Guides | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Stores | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cellphone Stores | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eight ways they ripe you off at the cellphone store. An interesting article to read before you visit cellphone stores. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google - Best Cellphone Stores. You be the judge. Of course there is always Amazon.com. |
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| Companies | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cellphone
Companies AT&T owns Cingular, Sprint owns Nextel, MCI and Verizon are together and Voicestream merged with T-Mobile. |
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| See Taking Your Cellphone Abroad, Renting or Buying an International Cellphone and Using a Cellphone Abroad below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Here are direct links to the International Plans of some of the major U.S. cell phone company. Also see our Using a Cell Phone Abroad topic below. Sprint and Nextel links take you to Sprint. They have two different places (1, 2) on their website that cover their international plans. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taking | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Taking Your U.S. Cell Phone
Abroad Your cell phone may already be capable of making calls from other countries, or can be modified to do so. Also, all U.S. cell phone companies offer cell phone you can buy that do allow calls from other countries and also offer international cell phone rental plans. Always talk to a cell phone representative before signing up for anything to make sure you understand the terms and they have answered all your questions. |
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| Consumer Report - Cellphone and International Travel. A good overview of the different cellphone systems in the world. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taking your iPhone overseas? Be warned! Here are a few articles: iphoneatlas.com and iphonetopic.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Renting | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Renting or Buying an
International Cell Phone Here are some companies, other than your cell phone company, that specialize in renting or selling cell phones that can be used internationally. Check with your own cell phone company first to see if your phone can be used in the countries you are visiting or can be modified to do so. Also they may have cell phones for rent to take on your trip. Always comparison shop as rates and features vary widely. |
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How To Communicate Cheaply via Cellphone when Traveling in Europe
Excellent article on your options. Also check out their overview of
using a cellphone in Europe. Google -Renting an International Cell Phone. Listed below are some of the top companies from their search results. |
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| Using | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Using
a Cellphone Abroad Depending on your cell phone model and your cell phone company, you may or may not be able to make calls from other countries outside the United States. Otherwise your choices are to possibly have your cell phone modified, or buying or renting a cell phone that can be used in other countries or use an international "call back to the U.S." calling card from your phone company or some other company that offers that option. |
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The Travel Insider
- International Cell Phone Service This is the best and most
comprehensive information we have found on international cell phone service.
It was originally published in 2002 but updated in January 2007 the last
time we checked. It may have been updated again by now. Also see
their companion article on
GSM Cell Phone Unlocking FAQ and
Unlock your GSM Cell Phone. |
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ConsumerSearch.com - Cell Phone Plans. Use your browser
Find on this page feature and enter the words-
international compatibility. This will take you to their excellent
discussion of GSM versus CDMA systems. |
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Mobalrental -
The Six Most Popular Ways to Call Home When Traveling.
They will send you this free guide via email. It tells you all about
using your cell phone when abroad. |
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Consumer Reports - Cell Phone overview. Use your browser
Edit on this page option and enter digital
network. This will take you to a good description about the competing
worldwide networks and what it means to you as a traveler. |
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USA Today - Travelers Can Find Far-Reaching Cell Phones.
May 2005 A good article and,
except for the pricing, it is generally current information. |
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Using Your Cell Phone Overseas.
Some additional insights into using your cell phone overseas and the use of
SIM cards and unlocking them. |
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